The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and is particularly directed to a vehicle safety seat for helping to protect a vehicle seat occupant from injury in the event of a vehicle collision.
A typical vehicle seat includes a seat cushion and a seat back which projects upward from the seat cushion. The seat cushion and the seat back include padding and a covering, such as cloth or leather, which are supported by metal framework inside the vehicle seat. The framework can also be used to mount vehicle occupant protection devices.
Various protection devices are known for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle seat from injury in the event of a vehicle collision. Known protection devices include front impact air bags, seat belt webbing pretensioners, inflatable knee bolsters, side impact air bags and side curtains, and rear impact or whiplash protection air bags that inflate to support the head of the vehicle seat occupant. Each of these known protection devices is deployed or inflated using pressurized fluid from an actuatable device, such as an inflator. Typically, each of the aforementioned protection devices has a separate inflator, although it is known to use a single inflator with more than one protection device.
The present invention is an apparatus comprising a vehicle seat having a tubular seat frame defining a fluid manifold. The apparatus also comprises at least two deployable vehicle occupant protection devices for helping to protect a vehicle seat occupant from injury in the event of a vehicle collision. The at least two protection devices are spaced apart from each other. The at least two protection devices are in fluid communication with the fluid manifold and are deployable by fluid directed into the at least two protection devices from the fluid manifold. A single actuatable device provides pressurized fluid for deploying one or more of the at least two protection devices. The actuatable device is in fluid communication with the fluid manifold.
In accordance with a feature of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises at least one controllable valve disposed within the fluid manifold for selectively permitting the flow of fluid from the actuatable device to one or more of the at least two protection devices.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the at least two protection devices include a seat belt webbing pretensioner located adjacent the vehicle seat.
In accordance with yet another feature of the present invention, the at least two protection devices include a side impact air bag mounted in the vehicle seat.
In accordance with still another feature of the present invention, the at least two protection devices include at least one whiplash protection air bag mounted atop the vehicle seat.